


don't count the miles

by LiveLaughLovex



Series: first to fight [16]
Category: The Code (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Established Relationship, F/M, Gen, Post-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22431178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex
Summary: It wasn't often that First Lieutenant Bodhi Porter was able to visit Quantico, which was the reason Harper agreed to have dinner and introduce her to Abe. The second her friend began sharing stories from Stanford, though, she found herself regretting that decision.
Relationships: Harper Li & Original Female Character(s), John "Abe" Abraham & Original Female Character(s), John "Abe" Abraham/Harper Li
Series: first to fight [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1471817
Comments: 7
Kudos: 7





	don't count the miles

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from this quote, which I couldn't really source: "Friendship doesn't count the miles; it's measured by the heart."

First Lieutenant Bodhi Porter wasn’t often anywhere near Quantico. The other woman, who’d first befriended Harper during their freshman year at Stanford and called to check in on the prosecutor at the end of each week, was typically assigned to posts overseas. So, when the opportunity arose for her and Harper to see each other face-to-face, they both tended to jump at it. Something was a bit different about this visit, though. This time around, Harper wasn’t the only one Bodhi wanted to see. She was also extremely interested in meeting Abe.

It was probably Harper’s own fault that her friend had become so dedicated to this particular cause. She and Abe hadn’t even been together a year, but they already acted and spoke like they had been married for decades, if not longer. They were talking marriage and kids within the first few months.

All of this meant it was natural for Bodhi to want to meet the man her friend typically failed to stop talking about during their weekly conversations. The thing was, Bodhi could be a little… intimidating when it came to new people. It was even worse when those new people happened to be dating her friends.

There was absolutely no talking the other woman out of visiting, though, so Harper supposed the nicest thing she could possibly do for her boyfriend was prepare him for the hurricane he’d soon be forced to contend with. She broached the subject on a Monday evening in June.

“So,” Harper began, accepting the damp plate Abe was holding out to her and drying it off quickly before adding it to the growing stack on the counter, “our plans for Friday – are those set in stone?”

“Ordering in food and mocking the newest movie they’ve put up on Netflix?” Abe glanced over at her curiously. “I think it’s possible to do a little rearranging, if need be. Why? Did you get a better offer from someone else?”

Harper smiled amusedly, shaking her head in response to his teasing. “Not exactly. Bodhi’s going to be in town for a few days, visiting her brother. She’s free on Friday night, though, and asked if we could all get together for dinner. I also might’ve let it slip that you were free, so if you don’t come, she will definitely think you’re dodging her,” she added apologetically.

“Nice,” he remarked drily, though the amused glint in his eye prevented his words from carrying any real exasperation. “Well, I can’t exactly have your closest friend from Stanford think I’m avoiding her. Just so we’re clear, though – when you say she wants to meet for dinner, what you actually mean is that she’ll be using this opportunity to interrogate me, yes?”

“More likely than not,” Harper admitted sheepishly. “Sorry.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. You’re her best friend, and we’ve been together for going on six months now. She needs to make sure I’m not a serial killer, and I completely understand that need.”

“I’m sure you do,” she replied wryly. “And while I’ve assured her on multiple occasions that it’s not the case, I think you might not be too far from the mark with the whole serial killer thing.”

“I cannot even imagine the amount of brilliance I’d have to possess to keep something even remotely similar to that hidden from a lawyer who just so happens to be a _Marine_ ,” he remarked humorously. “I do appreciate that she’s so focused on your safety, though.”

“Overly so,” Harper remarked, only mildly exasperated. “She’s the youngest of six siblings, and the only girl. Apparently, it taught her how to speak her mind very, uh, loudly. It also made her overprotective to the point of it being ridiculous. Still, though, she’s a great person to have in your corner.”

“Sounds like it. She’s a Marine too, isn’t she?” Abe checked.

Harper nodded. “She joined up straight out of Stanford. It’s a family tradition. She lost an uncle in Desert Storm, and her dad was paralyzed in Iraq when she was a kid,” she explained further. “Her brother, Eliot, is an instructor here, which is why she’s in town.”

Abe hummed his acknowledgement of her words. “I have one remaining question, which happens to be incredibly important.”

“Okay,” she dragged out hesitantly.

“Does she have any embarrassing stories to tell me about you?”

Harper shook her head in response to the question. “Not any she’ll be sharing,” she replied firmly. “You don’t need to be made aware of what happened during my college years, thank you.”

“I’m pretty sure my mother told you every detail of my childhood,” Abe protested. “ _Your_ mother, on the other hand, hasn’t shared _anything_.”

“Yes, I’m aware. Sometimes I’m exceedingly grateful she plays things so close to the vest.” She patted his cheek to soften the sting of disappointment she was sure he felt. “Sorry, sweetheart. Maybe I’ll give Bodhi permission to share one or two of those stories.”

“I don’t think it’ll be quite fair until you give her permission to share _all_ of them, but it’s a start,” Abe agreed begrudgingly, smiling in response to Harper’s fond eyeroll. “Is this interrogation going to be in any way similar to the one Liam and I put all of Candace’s new boyfriends through?”

“I haven’t witnessed one of those, but considering what you’ve said about the current one, I’ll go ahead and say yes. She’s not as straightforward, though,” she warned him.

“Oh, great,” he muttered amusedly.

“She’s going to love you,” she promised, knowing it was true.

“Yeah?” he murmured, reaching over to dry his hands and then pulling her into his arms. “How’re you so sure of that?”

“Well, because I do,” she answered simply, smiling when he leaned down to press his lips to hers.

“Mm,” he said softly, pulling away slightly and lightly kissing her forehead.

“Also, you’re the best hope she’s ever had of getting godchildren,” she added casually, smirking at the way his eyes flew to hers. “She reminds me a few times a month of the fact that Bodhi is an extremely gender-neutral name.”

“She’s not wrong,” Abe allowed, his arm tightening around her shoulders. “We’ll think about it.”

She groaned laughingly. “Please don’t tell her that,” she pleaded, amused. “She’ll spend the rest of her visit finding ways to talk you into it. I’ll have to let her tell college stories just to get her to stop trying.” She sighed defeatedly. “And now you’re definitely going to mention it, aren’t you?”

“Sweetheart,” he murmured, smiling into her hair, “you know me so well.”

-o-

Bodhi smiled widely as she walked into the restaurant that Friday night, quickly making her way over to the booth Abe and Harper had claimed as their own upon arriving half an hour earlier. “Why am I not at all surprised you beat me here?” she questioned rhetorically, briefly embracing her friend when Harper stood from her seat. “Have you ever been late for anything in your life, Li?”

“Have you _met_ my mother?” Harper returned drily, reclaiming the seat next to her boyfriend. “I hope it wasn’t too hard for you to find the place.”

“It wasn’t,” Bodhi assured her friend, sliding into the booth opposite them. “God invented Google Maps for that very purpose.” She directed her attention to the other person at the table. “So. I’m going to go ahead and assume that you are the elusive Captain Abraham.”

“I am,” he confirmed good-naturedly, reaching across the table to shake Bodhi’s extended hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“You, too.” She folded her hands atop the table, eyeing him blankly for a moment. “I was beginning to think Li might’ve made you up. She’s been very secretive about you for the past few months.”

Abe exhaled laughingly. “To be fair, we all spend more time in warzones than the average person ever should.”

“Good point,” Bodhi allowed, pausing to place her drink order with the passing waitress before looking back over at Abe. “You two met through work, right? You’re a prosecutor, same as Li?”

“I am,” Abe confirmed. “And you’re…”

“Infantry,” Bodhi supplied. “3rd Battalion. We just cycled home from Syria a few months back, actually. You’ve spent some time overseas yourself, haven’t you?”

“I did two tours of Afghanistan. First in 2007, second in 2009. Came home permanently in 2010.”

“I’m guessing that wasn’t exactly your decision,” Bodhi remarked, nodding her thanks to the waitress as the woman placed a glass of lemonade before her.

Abe’s smile was slightly bitter. “Last mission didn’t go so well. There was a hole the size of my fist in my leg; they told me it was probably best if I never saw active combat again. That’s how I became a lawyer. My commanding officer, he saw something in me. Wanted to keep me in the Corps as long as he could.”

“Sounds like a smart guy,” Bodhi commented, taking a sip of her beverage. “From what I’ve heard, you two make one hell of a team in the courtroom. And outside of it,” she added with a slight smile.

“Thank you,” Harper murmured, flashing her friend a grateful smile.

“Of course.” Bodhi cleared her throat, then met Abe’s gaze. “So. Just to clarify, you are not, in any way, shape, or form, a serial killer?”

Harper shook her head exasperatedly, turning to Abe. “I told you she was going to come right out and ask. You owe me twenty dollars.”

“I’ll get it to you,” he assured her, then turned back to Bodhi. “And to answer your question, no. I’ve got a few background checks run by the federal government that prove it, if that’ll help.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly. “I think we’re good for now, but I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“Okay,” he agreed easily. “Speaking of things that need to be known… I’ve been told you’re the expert when it comes to our captain’s college days.”

Bodhi’s smile in that moment was positively evil. Harper already regretted introducing the two of them. “I am. Why, would you be interested in hearing some of those stories?”

“No,” Harper rushed to reply. “He wouldn’t.”

Bodhi glanced at Abe, then returned her gaze to her friend. “I think he would.”

She dove into the story of a disastrous day during their senior year before Harper could protest further. The female captain heaved a quiet sigh, then leaned her head against Abe’s shoulder and settled in for the story.

She still sort of regretted introducing them, but it seemed there was no avoiding the embarrassment, so she figured that, if she couldn’t beat them, she might as well join them.

-o-

“So,” Bodhi began, walking out to her car alongside Harper after dinner was over. “He seems like a good guy.”

“He is,” Harper answered immediately. “He’s a… he’s a great guy.”

“Yeah,” her friend laughed quietly, “I can tell.” She paused for a moment. “I like him. He brings out something in you nobody else you’ve ever been with has. He makes you… you’re not lost, with him. You haven’t had to give any part of yourself up. He loves you as you are. You’re not just content, either; you are genuinely happy. That is all I have ever wanted for you.”

“Thank you,” Harper replied quietly.

“Well, I mean it,” Bodhi replied honestly. “Just make sure to invite me to the wedding, all right? And I’d just like to remind you, once more, that Bodhi is a…”

“Perfectly gender-neutral name,” Harper finished for her. “I know, and I have taken it into consideration. You somehow managed to get Abe on your team, so congratulations for that.”

“Well. I might get a little godchild named after me yet, then.” She came to a stop in front of her car, then leaned over to wrap her friend in a tight but brief embrace. “Wedding invite, yes?”

“Yes,” Harper sighed, amused. “Yours will be the first I mail out.”

“That’s all I ask.” She glanced over Harper’s shoulder as Abe pulled the car up, offering a smile and a wave, then met Harper’s eyes once more, her expression more serious than before. “You two take care of each other, all right?”

“We will,” Harper promised, smiling at her friend once more as the lieutenant unlocked her car and slid behind the wheel. “Drive safe,” she added before the door closed, returning the other woman’s wave.

She exhaled deeply, then turned back to face her boyfriend, smiling fondly as she climbed into the seat next to him. “She’s taken the baby name thing to heart, you know.”

“I can live with that,” he replied easily, glancing in the mirrors to make sure nobody was behind him before putting the car in Drive once more. Within a few minutes, they were once again on the road.

“She likes you,” she told him after a few minutes. “She says you make me… happy.”

“Do I?” he questioned seriously, glancing over at her.

“Yes,” she said honestly. “You do.”

“Well, then.” He exhaled slowly. “That’s good to know.”

“Do I make _you_ happy?” Harper couldn’t help but ask.

He reached over to take her hand, lifting it to his lips and pressing a kiss to her palm. “Happier than I’ve ever been,” he promised. “Happier than I ever knew I could be.”

She smiled sappily, knowing there was no reason to doubt him. What he’d just described? Well, she felt exactly the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, THIS took a lot longer than it should've. I've been working on this story forever, mostly because I know enough about where the series is headed to know she's going to be important later on. I think I'm satisfied with it now, but if there are a few edits made later in the week - I'm very sorry, it's just my annoying process.


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